Marlins Sign Kyle Tyler To Minor League Deal

The Marlins have signed right-hander Kyle Tyler to a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The righty, who is represented by Nello Gamberdino, will receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Tyler, 27 in December, spent 2023 with the Mariners on a minor league deal. He made 27 Double-A appearances on the year, including 26 starts, tossing 135 innings with a 5.60 earned run average. He struck out 22.3% of batters faced, walked 9.4% and kept 42.8% of balls in play on the ground. He didn’t get much help from a .351 batting average on balls in play or 63.6% strand rate, which is why his 4.47 FIP was more than a run better than his ERA.

Prior to this year, he had made seven major league appearances, five with the Angels in 2021 and two with the Padres last year. He had a 2.20 ERA in a tiny sample of 16 1/3 innings. Over that same two-year stretch, he tossed 111 1/3 innings in the minors with a 4.12 ERA, 26.3% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate.

By signing Tyler, the Marlins add a bit of non-roster depth for their pitching staff. Their once-vaunted pitching surplus has been thinned a bit in recent years, after they traded away Pablo López and Jake Eder while Sandy Alcantara is going to miss all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. It was reported earlier today that the club is still getting interest in their young starters, so Tyler gives them a fallback if they make a move or another injury creates a need. Tyler still has a couple of options and less than a year of service time, giving him the potential to be a long-term depth piece with roster flexibility if he manages to get onto the club’s 40-man.